¡NOS QUEDAMOS! – WE STAY! QUEENS!

Contact: eecalliance@gmail.com

Nos Quedamos Queens Community Coalition Unites

Demands Mayor Recoup Land at Willets Point before December 20th Deadline Group rolls out platform and Vows to Fight Corporate Welfare and Displacement

Willets Point, Queens - Over a dozen local organizations have united to form a coalition named Nos Quedamos Queens/We Stay Queens. The group presented its platform (annexed) and were joined by NYC Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez. In its first public statement the group called on the Mayor of the City of New York to reclaim 2 acres of land purchased by the City and then transferred to the Queens Development Group for ONE DOLLAR by exercising an option in contract with the developer that expires on December 20, 2018.

The 2013 Agreement* between the developer Queens Development Group and NYCEDC provides a "Call Option" applicable to the Two Acres given to QDG for $1. NYCEDC may exercise the Call Option under several circumstances, two of which exist today: (1) there is a final determination in a Legal Proceeding which would prevent the Project from being developed, and (2) the Second Closing or the Third Closing did not occur for any reason other than EDC's default, and/or less than all of the Willets Point Development I Site will be conveyed, by the Call Option Outside Date.

The "Call Option Outside Date" is "the date that is five years after the First Closing Date". The First Closing Date (i.e., the date when title to the Two Acres was given to QDG) was December 20, 2013. To exercise the Call Option, the party entitled to exercise the option "shall deliver a notice to the other party or parties prior to the ... Call Option Outside Date" (i.e., prior to December 20, 2018. Nos Quedamos Queens calls on the City to deliver notice immediately. Source: * First Amendment to Amended and Restated Purchase and Sale Agreement between NYCEDC and QDG dated December 20, 2013; § 17.2 and § 17.3.

Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez stated, “This community of hard-working families is speaking loud and clear and their saying they’re tired of being pushed out of their own community by developers who continue to make millions by taking what isn’t theirs. These families deserve affordable housing not for their community to be sold for one dollar! We need to build the affordable housing that was already promised to this community.”

Former Councilmember and current District Leader Hiram Monserrate who negotiated the original 2008 plan stated, “The City spent 200 million dollars in acquiring these 23 acres and pushed out over 60 small mom and pops shops owned and operated by mostly immigrant Latinos. They were displaced because the City promised 2,000 affordable housing units and more. The people have been subjected to broken promise after broken promise. This must change, we need real public

investment for affordable housing and an end to deals that unfairly benefit the super-rich. We need to not move one more shop out of Willets Point ever again! Mr. Mayor, we need you to stand up for our community!”

“The development at Willets Point has been in complete disarray since it was first proposed. We have seen small businesses forced to close and community members wage battle in court to prevent the loss of public parkland, something that still hasn't been returned. It's time for the city to return to its original plan that includes affordable housing, schools and a community center, and we will fight until that happens.” said Bertha Lewis, Founder and President of The Black Institute.

Rev. Johnnie Green of MPAC added, “Yesterday we challenged the Mayor to allocate the funding to rehabilitate NYCHA whose tenants are living in deplorable conditions. Today we are challenging Mayor De Blasio to do the right thing here at Willets Point. The right thing here is to retake the 2 acres of land given to a billionaire developer for 1 dollar. This the worse deal in City history and he shouldn’t let it stand. Build affordable housing on these 17 vacant acres”

Spokesperson of the East Elmhurst Corona Alliance David Aiken added, “Everyday people of color are displaced by market forces and government action. Our community says no more! We are here to stay and we will fight for our right to stay in Queens and in NYC the Mayor need to get it right!”

Rolando Bini of Parents in Action said, “This 2 acres for a dollar deal is a greedy corrupt land grab. This along with the Amazon deal in Long Island City shows how misdirected this administration is and how they have failed miserably in building affordable housing.

Spokesperson of TEPEYAC Teresa Garcia stated, “We are working class people who live in Queens for a long time. This is our Borough and we want to be here. Every day, the rents get higher and higher, but nobody speaks up or defends us. The City has forgotten the working people who pay taxes. The City made a promise to build at least 2,000 units of affordable and low income housing at Willets Point and that’s what the Mayor should do, in fact it should be the full 5,500 units but all affordable.”

Frank Garcia of the National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce shared the following, “We are sick and tired of how the government makes it harder and harder for small businesses to succeed. Here at Willets Point they drove the last nail in the coffin of these largely Latino shops, shameful

Local resident Liliana Melo and Nos Quedamos Queens member said, “I have lived in this community for most of my life and apartments are just out of reach. Why can’t Mayor DiBlasio use these 17 acres to create thousands of desperately needed affordable housing? I am sick and tired of the City’s broken promises.”

In closing, “Our community doesn’t need a parking lot, a mall, an Airtrain or another stadium. We need affordable housing, good schools and an MTA that works. It’s simple we need to direct public resources for the real needs of the people and not giveaways to Amazon and the big developers,” said Monserrate. `

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Nos Quedamos Coalition: BLACK Institute, Padres En Accion/Parents in Action, East Elmhurst Corona Alliance, TEPEYAC, Queens Hispanic Clergy Association, MPUCC (Peruvian), Camara de Comercio Andino & NYS Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, TBS New Directions, Willets Point Defense Committee and MPAC-Mobilizing Preachers & Communities *List in Formation